I’m Not Doing This With A Friend Chapter 97

 

As I approached the blue light, I could feel the concentration of mana growing stronger in the air.

 

Once I got past the tingling sensation on my skin, a picturesque scene unfolded before me.

 

A blue glow of mana was dripping down from a snowflake.

 

And in the center of it all, leaning against a wooden beam, Carson’s eyes closed.

 

I stared at him, forgetting to breathe.

 

His long lashes fell. Skin without a flaw. Beneath them, I could see the veins in his neck and the broad shoulders that jutted out from the rest of his body.

 

He was on the borderline between boy and man and had suddenly become a full man.

 

Add to that the mysterious lighting, and I felt like I was looking at a statue, not a man.

 

I wanted to touch his cheek. They seemed hard and lifeless.

 

Involuntarily, my legs moved.

 

As if sensing my stirring, Carson slowly opened his eyes.

 

“…Leen?”

 

His eyes widened as he realized I was there, and he stood up and walked over to me.

 

“Leen, what are you doing here?”

 

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, I felt a strange sensation as he lurched toward me.

 

“I was just out for a walk…”

 

Carson cut me off, his voice full of concern.

 

“If you wanted to go for a walk, you should have called for me. It’s not safe for you to enter the monster habitat alone.”

 

“…Monster habitat?”

 

Only after hearing the words did I realize that where I was standing was outside the boundaries of the monster barrier.

 

Furthermore, the mana here was so dense that it could be visualized, so there was a possibility that a monster could be born instantly.

 

This was crazy. Where did I leave my sanity, stepping outside the barrier unprepared?

 

“But how else can I call you when you’re sleeping in other quarters?” I retorted nonchalantly.

 

I didn’t want to give away the fact that I’d been walking around halfheartedly.

 

Carson narrowed his eyes in disappointment and muttered softly.

 

“If I could just…, it would ease my worries.”

 

“Do what?”

 

“No, nothing.”

 

Come on, what was Carson doing here?

 

“Caon. What were you doing out here alone at dawn?”

 

“I couldn’t sleep, so… I was just sitting and feeling the mana.”

 

‘I see. Mages say that the higher the concentration of mana in the air, the better they feel.’

 

They also said it speeds up mana recovery.

 

Carson smiled wryly at me.

 

“Still, it’s nice to meet Leen. It’s like receiving an unexpected gift.”

 

I smiled faintly and was about to ask what it was.

 

Suddenly, the object in Carson’s hand came into view.

 

“…A stuffed dog?”

 

It was during the second grade academic festival. The same stuffed animal I’d given him and then broken into two pieces myself.

 

The doll had been sloppily repaired, as if it had been sewn by hand rather than magically.

 

A strange feeling rose in my stomach. I pushed it down and asked, “…Caon. I ruined this. What happened to it?”

 

I wonder what you thought as you stared at the ruined doll. As you picked up the remains of the doll?

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

At a loss for words, I looked up at Carson. I hadn’t expected to hear an apology. He was smiling bitterly.

 

“I’m sorry for bringing up those memories, but I couldn’t bring myself to throw the doll away.”

 

It was hard to understand why he would fix a broken doll.

 

“It’s a cheap doll. You can always buy a new one.”

 

“I don’t need another doll.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

“It’s the first gift you ever gave me, so it has meaning.”

 

Watching the way his eyes fell, and his cheeks flushed, I don’t know what I was thinking.

 

I just…

 

I guess all I could think was that everything about you was so adorable.

 

At the same time, I was scared.

 

The day was approaching when I wouldn’t be able to see you anymore. I burst into tears.

 

Carson was greatly embarrassed as I spilled my tears and clumsily wiped them away.

 

He said he was sorry, that maybe he hadn’t expected to see the way I felt, and he pressed a stuffed puppy into my hands.

 

He said he would leave me to dispose of the doll, which he had cherished for so long.

 

I couldn’t help but smile, even in the midst of my tears.

 

All I could do was laugh.

 

“…What are we going to do, Caon?”

 

Letting you walk away like this, I don’t think I would be able to.

 

🍃

 

I yawned, still feeling a little sleepy.

 

It must have been at least ten minutes, and the instructor still hasn’t finished his sermon… I could only marvel.

 

“I don’t think it’s any small thing that you’ve spent the day slaying monsters.”

 

Of course not, given the number of high-level demons Carson had defeated yesterday.

 

If we add up all the points of the entire grade, it wouldn’t even equal what Carson saved alone.

 

It wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

 

“If you hadn’t slain them, they would have killed people and beasts, sickened them, polluted the soil, and caused countless other harms.”

 

Even a three-year-old knew that monsters were bad. Okay, now finish it, please.

 

“You should be proud of yourselves, you saved someone’s life.”

 

I sighed deeply. There was no sign of the sermon ending. I wondered how much time had passed.

 

“…Now, let’s just fill out one last questionnaire and call it a day.”

 

Here I thought it was going to be great, but suddenly, a questionnaire?

 

As I narrowed my eyes and pondered the question, the person in front of me handed me a sheet of paper.

 

I took the paper and raised the corner of my mouth.

 

It was the graduation trip satisfaction questionnaire.

 

Professor Walter stepped forward and explained the reason for the questionnaire.

 

“The results of this questionnaire will determine the next graduation trip.”

 

The other students looked puzzled, but then they burst out laughing.

 

“If the overall satisfaction level is low, we’ll take next year’s graduation trip somewhere else.”

 

It was a no-brainer. The rich tradition and history of Arena Academy was evident.

 

I had to give the juniors a chance to have this same great experience. I checked all the boxes for ‘very good’ without even reading the questionnaire.

 

Furthermore, I looked at Jane’s next to me and realized that she hadn’t done much differently.

 

After the questionnaires were handed in. The students stood in the same large magic circle as when we arrived.

 

It was time to return to the Academy. With everyone inside the circle, only the instructor stood alone outside.

 

“Warp!”

 

The wizard shouted, and the circle floated away.

 

The instructor waved to us, smiling as he watched us disappear. He and a few students waved back.

 

The only good thing about this graduation trip was that I had to wipe my eyes and realize I hadn’t been looking hard enough, but it was a nice way to end.

 

Upon arrival at the academy, students scattered.

 

Some headed straight down to the main building, while others, like me, headed to their dorms.

 

I walked with Jane and ran into a familiar face in front of the dormitory.

 

“Luca!”

 

Luca looked at me wordlessly, as if he had been waiting for me to arrive. Luca’s face was puffy.

 

Seeing that face made me feel weak.

 

…Should I run back to my dorm now?

 

Jane recognized Luca and slapped me on the back.

 

“Go ahead and talk to your brother, I’ll go inside first.”

 

Oh, no.

 

Jane, don’t go…!

 

But she couldn’t hear me, and she slipped into the dorm room.

 

I laughed awkwardly and turned to Luca, who had a stern look on his face.

 

“It’s the beginning of vacation, and you haven’t gone home yet?”

 

“I was waiting to leave with you, sister.”

 

As usual, sad premonitions are never wrong. I took a short, deep breath and spoke.

 

“Luca I…”

 

“Three years.”

 

Luca’s jaw clamped shut. His anger was tightly set.

 

“Three years since you last visited the Count.”

 

But in the end, instead of getting angry, he turned to face me. Then he said pleadingly.

 

“My parents miss you very much, and they’re afraid they’ve done something wrong to you.”

 

“…The letters are coming in thick and fast.”

 

“Sister. No matter how busy you are, you could at least show your face once.”

 

No. I couldn’t.

 

The Count has Erhan, and he would contact Rex Begonia the moment he saw me.

 

There was no one who could stand between Rex Begonia and me. It would be no problem for him to find me at the Count’s.

 

Luca spoke wryly, “My sister’s family’s house is the Count’s, not the Academy.”

 

“Luca.”

 

“You’re graduating soon. Are you going to wait until after you graduate to show your face?”

 

“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to the Count’s after I graduate.”

 

Luca’s eyes fluttered at the firm refusal.

 

“…What do you mean, you’re not coming back to the Count?”

 

“I know that the Count and my aunt love me like a daughter, but that’s no reason for me to call the estate home.”

 

“Nonsense.”

 

He gripped my shoulders, his expression tinged with betrayal.

 

“There’s a reason you can’t come back, is there? Because you wouldn’t be like this if you didn’t.”

 

I laughed loosely, pulling his hand away.

 

“You have a vivid imagination, my Luca. I just thought it was time for me to be independent.”

 

“What about not coming to the Count’s?”

 

“Because I am sorry to continue to be indebted to the Count and my aunt.”

 

“Oh, that’s just…!”

 

Luca spat out the words in agitation, then suddenly regained his composure as he locked eyes with me.

 

I don’t know what it was he was looking at. It was probably something close to sadness.

 

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t think of it from your perspective.”

 

“It’s not your fault.”

 

“But my parents are probably sadder that you think that way. You’re part of the family.”

 

“I know, and I’m sorry about that, as well.”

 

But it was the best I could do. Luca stared at me for a long moment without speaking. He looked like he was going to cry.

 

He bit his lip and fell into my arms.

 

“…I’ll try to respect your wishes’ sister.”

 

I reached out and stroked Luca’s hair affectionately.

 

“Thank you for understanding.”

 

My little brother.